


forgotten together

by mettamaxie



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Bonding Over Shared Trauma, Braig Has ADHD, Developing Friendships, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Formerly Possessed Braig, Gen, Post-Kingdom Hearts III, Post-Possession, because im self projecting leave me alone, theres not enough content of braig and xion interacting so I Will Make It Myself
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-18
Updated: 2020-03-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:28:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23193187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mettamaxie/pseuds/mettamaxie
Summary: Xion makes an unlikely friend up on the clock tower.
Relationships: Braig & Xion (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	forgotten together

The sunset was always beautiful in Twilight Town.

Xion kicked her legs a bit as she sat atop the clock tower, watching as the sun slowly set on the horizon, casting a warm orange glow on the town. She had missed the feeling of warm sunlight, paired with a gentle breeze that gently caressed her face every so often. Breathing in, she let a small smile grow on her face as she thought of Roxas and Lea, who had gone to run some quick errands and collect some sea salt ice cream on the way. They had left not too long ago, leaving Xion to sit alone with only her thoughts. She didn’t mind it too much. Someone needed to watch their spot and keep it safe after all.

“Hey...Xion?”

The girl turned her head to see a young man standing not too far behind her, slightly leaning against one of the clock tower’s pillars. She immediately noticed his scar and eyepatch, a familiar sight for her.

“Xig-?”

He immediately winced as if she had just struck him. He did his best to quickly regain his composure, though his smile was a bit tense.

“Ah, it’s Braig, actually. I don’t like people callin’ me by the...other name, ya know?”

“Oh! Sorry,” Xion apologized meekly. “I wasn’t sure.”

“It’s alright, kiddo. Mind if I join ya for a bit?”

Xion shook her head, shifting over a bit and waving a hand at the spot next to her. Braig carefully made his way over to her, swinging his legs over the ledge of the tower and making himself just the slightest bit comfortable. Xion noticed that he sat exactly like Xigbar used to in the Organization’s Round Room, but she decided it was best not to bring it up.

“Sunset’s nice from up here, ain’t it?” Braig said, a small lopsided smile forming on his face. “Looks so different from the one in Radiant Garden. Guess you can’t get that pink n’ purple sky anywhere else.” He turned his attention to Xion. “Y’been to Radiant Garden yet, kiddo?”

Xion shook her head. She remembered that she had a pending invitation from Ventus, who had one day asked her and Roxas if they wanted to come over so he could show them around the area. He enticed them with promises of sea salt ice cream, though that had been a few days ago and they had yet to go.

“Damn shame. Guess I gotta take ya over there one of these days. Y’can meet the family! Or I guess you guys already know each other? Either way, yer gonna love it. Y’can even bring Comet along, if ya want.”

The girl tilted her head. “Who’s Comet?”

Braig put a hand to his mouth in slight surprise, lowering it to his chin soon after. “Oh! My bad. That’s just what I call Roxas. I like givin’ ya guys lil’ nicknames.”

“Why Comet?”

“Well, he’s a feisty lil’ fighter, with the way he always zips around on the battlefield at the speed of light. He’s as fast as a comet.” Braig’s smirk soon turned into a sheepish smile as he scratched the side of his head. “That and he and Ven look the same. I nicknamed Ven ‘shooting star’, might as well call Roxas somethin’ similar.”

Xion nodded. Braig really did have a penchant for nicknames, didn’t he? She wondered how it came about, or why he was so adamant about giving a unique one to everyone. She didn’t mind it, she just thought it was a bit funny.

“I gotta admit,” Braig spoke suddenly, breaking Xion out of her current train of thought, “Xigbar sometimes did a good job on the nicknames. I kinda like the one he gave ya. I mean, he did learn from the best. Y’mind if I shorten it, though? Poppy’s got a nicer ring to it, anyways.”

Xion grinned, letting out a small giggle. “Yeah, I like that one!” Her smile slowly faded as a question resurfaced and prodded her mind. She wanted to ask him, maybe to get some sort of answer, but she had no idea how he’d respond. Would he want to answer it? She sighed, supposing that she wouldn’t know for sure until she asked it.

“Hey, Braig?” Xion piped up. Braig raised an eyebrow at her, tilting his head.

“Oh, what’s up, Poppy? Got somethin’ ya need to say? Sorry I’ve been kinda stealin’ the show this whole time, Snowflake always said I had an ‘annoying’ habit of talkin’ too much.”

“It’s okay,” she reassured him. She felt her shoulders tense up suddenly as she just slightly clenched her fists. Her eyes darted from his face to the ledge they were seated on and down to the ground below, where some passerbys were entering and exiting the train station. She let out a resigned sigh as she thought about her next choice of words. Her voice was cautious, careful, restrained even.

“Why...do you refer to Xigbar as if he was some other person?”

Braig tilted his head, raising an eyebrow at her.

“I mean, like...Lea always talks about Axel as if he were still talking about himself. He even lets Roxas, Isa, and I still call him Axel. But you...” Xion noticed Braig’s face falter a bit as he suddenly became much more interested in the bandana wrapped snugly around his neck. Maybe it’d be best to wrap up the question quick. “...Weren’t you and Xigbar the same?”

Braig tugged gently at his bandana, feeling the tears and holes it had gained over the years. He shook his head, his eye cast downward towards the ground below. “No,” he spoke, his voice growing unusually quiet. “We...We weren’t.”

A name crossed the young man’s mind, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.

_Luxu._

Out of the corner of his eye, Braig saw Xion looking down at her lap with worried eyes, her lips pursed as she wrung her hands anxiously. The tension in his face washed away in an instant. He reached a comforting hand out, placing it on Xion’s own hands, eliciting a quiet gasp from her.

“Hey, I’m sorry, kiddo. Didn’t mean to make ya feel like I was mad or anythin’,” he reassured her, softening the tone of his voice. “Ya had no idea what happened.”

Xion carefully peered up at Braig with wide eyes, attempting to read the look on his face. When she noticed how gentle his eye was, she relaxed herself, smiling sheepishly at him. He couldn’t help but chuckle at that.

“Well...” he began, his chuckling subsiding as his face grew serious once more. “Truth is, I ended up possessed by this one guy. Kinda like a similar situation to Terra.” He paused briefly before raising an eyebrow. “...Ya know who that is, right?”

Xion thought for a moment. She was sure she had heard the name before, but connecting said name to a specific face was troubling her now. She shook her head.

“Well, yer gonna probably hear about him sometime,” he shrugged, waving a hand. “That aside, this guy from a good handful of years ago decided that he wanted to use my body as a vessel. Said his name was Luxu.”

Xion noted the sudden resentment that creeped into Braig’s voice upon speaking that name, but said nothing.

“So, he decides to possess me, whatever. I only expected it to last for a little while, maybe a few weeks or so, but the funny thing is that he held onto my body for twelve years. Twelve years! Can ya believe that, Poppy?” he laughed, his grin wide. “Twelve whole years _gone_!”

Braig continued his laughter before noticing the disturbed look on the girl’s face. Blushing in embarrassment, he let his poorly timed laughter slowly die down, clearing his throat after a brief silence.

“...Sorry. It’s not really all that funny.”

“We all deal with our own things differently, don’t we?”

“Hah. Guess you’re right, Poppy.”

Xion wondered what Braig’s experience must have been like. Did he feel like he was in a void, like she did when she had returned to Sora’s heart to be forgotten by her loved ones? Was it possible that he was locked in constant battle, fighting to regain his willpower from a force that didn’t want to return it? She added this to her mental list of questions to ask him later.

“How did you get back?” she pondered aloud, raising her hand to her chin in thought.

“Sora helped me. Kiddo managed to pull me from the brink and got me back,” he smiled. “Can’t thank him enough for reunitin’ me with everyone. Seein’ old friends, meetin’ new faces, and meetin’ back with-“

He cut himself off suddenly, his breath catching in his throat. He felt a shudder run through his body, chilling him to the bone. Feeling a cold sweat break out on his forehead, he gulped as he noticed Xion patiently waiting for him to continue.

“I... I met back with my family. In Radiant Garden.”

Braig recalled how he had met again with them for the first time in what felt like ages. The feelings in his chest were overwhelming, he cringed at the pain that had suddenly risen. Seeing the concerned faces of Dilan, Aeleus, Even...how was he supposed to respond? What was he supposed to do?

He had pulled Ienzo into a tender hug, thanking him for everything he had done to help Sora in his search for his heart. He expressed how he regretted missing out on seeing how much Ienzo had grown, though the young scientist assured him once again that none of it was his fault. Feeling just a bit choked up, Braig soon dismissed the boy, telling him that he probably had heaps of work to do and that he would catch up more with him later.

Once Ienzo had left, he remembered how quickly the feeling inside his chest had changed. Facing the adults still in the room, a fire rose suddenly in his chest. It _burned_.

“I... I think I overreacted...” Braig mumbled suddenly, bringing himself out of his thoughts and back into the present time.

“How so?” Xion asked gently with a tilt of her head.

He frowned before squeezing his eye shut, remembering how his soft smile had fallen into a tense frown. The corners of his mouth had been trembling, and he stood quietly before speaking to the trio of Dilan, Aeleus, and Even in front of him. What began as quiet questioning turned into a harsh outpouring of scornful, bitter words, lashing out at the three with tearful, enraged accusations. He had become so detached from reality in that moment, where he had felt his chest aching and his vision blinded and red. Only upon ending his resentful interrogation did he notice his friends, his colleagues, his family silently crying at all he had shouted at them. With his voice hoarse and his face streaked with tears, he had quietly made his exit, leaving them in stunned silence.

“I didn’t know what to do. I felt so overwhelmed by everythin’, it was like my heart was about to explode, ya know?” Braig clutched his chest, gripping his bandana for comfort. “Everything I feel, every emotion I have is just always so out of control,” he brought a hand up to his mouth as his voice began to break, “they gotta think I hate ‘em after all the shit I said to ‘em. I... I didn’t mean to get so upset, it just sorta...”

“Just happened, didn’t it?” Xion murmured, finishing his sentence. She placed a supportive hand on his back, rubbing it once she noticed the tears falling down his face. “I understand.”

Xion recalled her own reunion with Roxas and Axel in the Keyblade Graveyard, where she could do nothing but cry as she looked at them both. Even walking was a challenge as she had remained glued to her spot; she was silently thankful when Roxas jogged up to her, his face full of concern but a soft smile still present on his face. The two grinned at each other before looking over at Axel with tearful eyes. He made one of his usual quips before becoming overwhelmed with tears of his own, rushing forward to embrace his friends he had missed so dearly.

In hindsight, it sounded like she had a much nicer reunion than Braig did.

“Maybe I didn’t feel the same way you felt, or didn’t react the same way, and maybe I don’t always feel the way you feel. But I get it.” She moved her hand from his back to his shoulder now. “I don’t think your overreaction was a bad thing. This must’ve been a stressful time for you.”

Braig gently wiped a few tears away, letting out a shaky breath as he tried to regain his composure. “I just...sorta thought they had forgotten about me.”

Xion stayed silent at that. _Forgotten_.

“Poppy?” he spoke, startling her a bit. “Did ya ever feel like that? Like ya got forgotten?”

The feeling of being swallowed by that horrible, endless void filled her again. It dragged her down, suffocating her as she felt her loved ones slip away from her little by little, unable to do anything to stop it. Her mind drew a blank as she tried to think of something, anything to soothe her. She couldn’t let herself be forgotten, not when she had so much to live for, but the memories of others were much more powerful than her.

“...Yes,” Xion responded finally, hands shaking as she felt her blood run cold for a moment. “I... It was an awful experience. Everything felt so dark, there were so many times that the emptiness around me would just drag me down...” She brought a hand to her chest, clasping it over her heart. “I think Roxas did his best to not let me go, Axel as well, but it was inevitable. Either way, I stayed. Alone in the dark.”

Braig let out a low gasp as his eye met Xion’s; a tormented sea of brilliant blue that was still trying its hardest to maintain its rhythm. There was sadness, fondness, happiness, wonder, heartbreak.... He wondered how dull his eye must be in comparison to hers.

“I never wanted anyone else to feel the way I did. But you’re here, aren’t you?”

Xion was met with a silent nod.

“You shouldn’t have gone through that,” Braig spoke suddenly, his voice low. “You’re just a kid...you didn’t deserve that.”

“You didn’t either.”

“I’m an adult. I can handle it.”

“That doesn’t matter.”

Another moment of silence between them.

“I see it in your face, Braig. You look so tired...We didn’t have the same situation, but I know how you must feel. And it’s because of that that I know you didn’t deserve to live through such an awful experience.”

Braig knew Xion was right. He had been catching glimpses of himself since he returned to living in his own body again. His hair was longer, just a bit past his usual shoulder length, a bit unkempt as it flared out wildly with several tangles and stray strands everywhere. His single eye was dull, barely shining in even the brightest of light. The dark circle underneath it only accentuated its dullness. A frown seemed to be perpetually stuck on his face these days; maintaining his usual smirk or even mustering the smallest smile felt so hard. His posture was worse than usual, his slouch having grown much more pronounced. All his movements were slower than usual. He was sluggish. Drained. _Exhausted_.

Twelve years of possession had really done a number on him.

“It doesn’t have to be now. But if you ever want to talk about it, I’d be happy to.” Xion finished her sentence with a warm smile. The young man could only return her smile, reaching over and gently ruffling her hair.

“Yeah. Thanks, Poppy.”

The two looked out towards the sunset. The red and orange tinted sky dotted with few clouds really was beautiful.

“What if I do something for you that Roxas and Axel have been doing for me?” Xion asked, tapping a finger to her chin. Braig raised an eyebrow.

“What would that be?”

“Well, they told me how awful they felt about not being able to properly preserve my memory when I had faded away. Even though I told them the circumstances were out of their control, they both insisted, Axel especially,” she giggled. “Every day, they check up on me and we’ll talk about a memory we shared. It’s nice.”

Braig hummed a bit in thought. “That doesn’t sound so bad...” he murmured before frowning a bit. “We don’t exactly have a lot of memories together though.”

“Well, that’s why we’re going to start talking more, isn’t it?” Xion winked. “I can start with checking up on you for now! Roxas and Axel have wanted me to meet more people anyways.”

Braig laughed a bit before nodding, shyly rubbing his arm. “Alright, ya got me there. I got a bit of a bad memory though, so sorry in advance if I forget anythin’.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. It kinda affected my guard work a lot. I always tried to be better about it, but...” his voice trailed off for a moment before he rolled his eye. “Ansem always got on my ass about it. Stopped tryin’ to explain to him that I don’t forget things on purpose.” He huffed as he remembered how many times he had been reprimanded for forgetting even the smallest things. With how much his mind was always racing, it was impossible for some things to not slip through the cracks. Briefly rethinking his words, however, he paused and shot up, waving his hands defensively.

“Oh, shit, but I don’t forget the important stuff though! Things like people and names and... some events usually stay in my head!” he proclaimed frantically. Xion burst out laughing, placing a supportive hand on his shoulder as she covered her mouth.

“I believe you, don’t worry!” she giggled. Braig let out a sigh of relief, putting a hand to his chest. His face soon grew serious again as he cast his glance to the side. Xion felt some tension building in his shoulders as his fists clenched a bit.

“I... Maybe I should go say sorry to Dilan, Aeleus, and Even for blowin’ up on ‘em like that, but...” His lips tightened a bit as he winced almost reflexively, remembering that moment once again. “I don’t know. I can’t really talk to ‘em right now.”

Xion patted his shoulder, perhaps a bit awkwardly, giving him a reassuring smile. “That’s fine. They probably know you need your space.”

Braig nodded quietly, idly tugging a bit at his bandana once again. The sounds of two voices down below suddenly grabbed his attention as he looked towards the ground. He saw Roxas and Lea looking upwards, Roxas waving and jumping up a bit as Lea kept one of his hands on his hips, holding a plastic bag in his other hand. Xion peered down, grinning once she met Roxas’ eyes and waving at the two with his same enthusiasm.

“Looks like that’s my cue,” Braig said as he swung one of his legs back onto the ledge of the clock tower. With a grunt, he quickly stood up, brushing his uniform off a bit.

“Aw, you don’t wanna stay?” Xion asked with a small pout.

“Normally I would, but I gotta be honest, I’m real tired,” Braig yawned. “Besides, I don’t wanna feel like I’m intrudin’ on anythin’.”

Deciding not to protest anymore, Xion nodded. She wanted him to feel comfortable after all. “That’s fine. You’re welcome to join us if you’d ever like to, though.”

“Huh. I’d like that, Poppy.”

Giving the girl a light salute, he turned and began to take a step towards the stairway.

“Hey, Braig?” Xion blurted out almost impulsively. He stopped in his tracks, looking at her from over his shoulder. She hesitated for a moment, but shook her head, smiling warmly.

“I won’t forget about you.”

His eyes widened as he inhaled a bit sharply, mouth slightly agape. Swallowing the lump that threatened to rise in his throat, his face softened as he returned her warm smile with one of his own.

“Thanks, Xion.”

♦ ♦ ♦

“Hey! Xion!” Roxas grinned as he rushed over to the girl’s side, plopping himself down next to her and gently hugging her. Lea soon followed suit, ruffling Xion’s hair before taking his seat next to Roxas. He opened the plastic bag he had been carrying, reaching in and handing them both their coveted sticks of sea salt ice cream.

“Hanging out with Braig, huh?” Lea said as he unwrapped his sea salt ice cream, quickly taking a bite of it. “Never would’ve guessed.”

Xion kicked her legs a bit as she unwrapped her own ice cream, looking down at the ground. She noticed Braig had finally made it down, looking out at Twilight Town’s horizon before looking back up at the clock tower. Upon seeing Xion, he gave another salute. She gave a small wave as he began walking off, presumably to find a place to nap. Taking a bite of her ice cream, she couldn’t help but think about Xigbar. She knew Braig had told her that him and Xigbar had been two very different people, what with Luxu having possessed him during that time, but the way Braig had spoken to her and been so nice to her reminded her of his nobody. She wondered if Braig’s real personality might have slipped through during those moments back in the Organization. It made her head hurt a little, but she’d understand eventually.

“Yeah. He’s sweet.”

**Author's Note:**

> i've had this simmering on the backburner for like a wholeass month and only now just got around to finishing it bc i got actual ideas for it SO  
> wanted to write something where xion and braig develop a bond. i think they'd have a lot in common, even with their circumstances being a bit different. this is a lot of headcanon stuff i guess but like. whatever. mr. braig kingdomhearts makes me sad dsjghksd  
> anyways i feel like this is a little scattered and all over the place but i hope it's good enough? i kinda had to stop myself from going off the rails a few times  
> also i snuck in my adhd braig headcanon. because it's my fic. and i have adhd. and braig is one of my comfort characters. do the fucking math there  
> anyways!!!!!!! braig and xion are friends now :) hope yall enjoy this little thing hehe


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